GitHub Copilot CLI: Released Sep 25 2025 — Features, Pricing & GA Status (2026)¶

🎉 GitHub Copilot CLI Public Preview Launch

September 25, 2025 - GitHub releases the highly anticipated GitHub Copilot CLI as a public preview!

GitHub Copilot CLI was finally released as a public preview on September 25, 2025. This tool is a revolutionary platform that allows developers to collaborate directly with AI coding agents from the terminal. Moreover, it natively integrates with the GitHub ecosystem, enabling natural language access to repositories, Issues, and pull requests.

💡 Key Point

This represents a true agent-based development environment that sets itself apart from previous CLI tools.

What is GitHub Copilot CLI¶

GitHub Copilot CLI is a terminal-native AI coding agent developed by GitHub. Specifically, it allows you to leverage the power of Copilot coding agents directly from the command line, enabling work without context switching.

Features Available in Public Preview¶

The current public preview offers the following key features:

🔧 Key Features

🤖 Agent Capabilities: Plan and execute building, editing, debugging, and refactoring
🔗 MCP Integration: GitHub MCP server included by default, custom server support
🛡️ Safety Design: Preview before execution, explicit approval required

⚠️ Safety-First Design

All actions are previewed before execution, and nothing is executed without explicit approval. Developers can receive AI assistance while maintaining complete control.

Differences from Traditional gh-copilot¶

⚠️ Important Migration Information

The traditional gh-copilot extension will be deprecated on October 25, 2025 and will stop working.

The new GitHub Copilot CLI provides a much more powerful agent experience compared to gh-copilot, which only had limited suggestion capabilities.

GitHub Copilot CLI Pricing and Usage Requirements¶

To use GitHub Copilot CLI, you need an existing Copilot subscription. It's currently available on Copilot Pro, Pro+, Business, and Enterprise plans.

Availability by Plan¶

Individual PlansBusiness Plans

Plan	Monthly	Annual	Features
Copilot Pro	$10	$100	Basic features
Copilot Pro+	$39	$390	Advanced features

Plan	Monthly/User	Features
Business	$19	Team management
Enterprise	$39	Enterprise-grade management

💰 No Additional Cost

GitHub Copilot CLI is included in existing Copilot subscriptions with no additional charges. Supports VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, and GitHub CLI.

Premium Request System¶

Furthermore, each plan has monthly premium request allowances. Specifically, Pro and Pro+ have different allowances, and usage varies by model. Note that GPT-4.1 and GPT-4o are available unlimited in agent mode and chat.

Innovative Features of GitHub Copilot CLI¶

The greatest feature of GitHub Copilot CLI is its deep integration with the GitHub environment. In fact, it can be easily installed with just an npm install command, authenticated with a GitHub account, and used with existing Copilot plans.

MCP Support and Ecosystem Extension¶

🔗 Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Copilot CLI includes GitHub MCP by default and can be extended with custom servers.

Examples of External Tool Integration:

graph LR
    A[GitHub Copilot CLI] --> B[GitHub MCP]
    A --> C[Jira]
    A --> D[Slack]
    A --> E[Internal Tools]
    A --> F[Custom MCP]

🚀 True AI Agent

These integrations enable it to function as a true AI agent beyond just a code generation tool.

GitHub Integration Advantages¶

The strength of GitHub Copilot CLI lies in being authenticated with existing GitHub accounts and being able to access repositories, Issues, and pull requests using natural language. Additionally, you can start new tasks with the gh agent-task create command and create PRs in the background.

Differences from Claude Code and Codex CLI¶

Currently, the terminal-based AI coding assistant market includes GitHub Copilot CLI, Claude Code, and Codex CLI. Each has its own characteristics, and the choice varies depending on the use case.

Functional Comparison Points¶

GitHub Copilot CLIClaude CodeCodex CLI

🔗 GitHub Integration: Native integration for PR/Issues operations
🤖 Agent Features: Advanced task automation
🛡️ Security: Pre-execution approval system
💰 Pricing: Included in existing subscriptions

💻 Cross-Platform: macOS, Linux, Windows support
⚡ Local Execution: Direct model API communication
🎯 Versatility: Supports various development environments
💰 Pricing: Pro $20/month, Max $100/month

🔓 Open Source: Built with Rust for high speed
⚡ Efficiency: Emphasizes speed and efficiency
🔧 Customizable: High extensibility
💰 Pricing: Via ChatGPT subscription

🏆 GitHub Copilot CLI Advantage

Deep integration with the GitHub ecosystem allows direct operation of GitHub-specific functions from the terminal, which is the greatest differentiating factor.

Pricing and Model Options¶

In terms of pricing, Claude Code offers access to the Sonnet 4 model with the Pro plan at $20/month, and the Max plan includes Opus 4.1 model access at $100/month. Codex CLI is available through ChatGPT subscription and can also be used with API keys.

However, GitHub Copilot CLI is attractive because it's included in existing Copilot subscriptions without additional cost.

Implementation Method and Practical Usage¶

🚀 Simple Installation

npm i -g @github/copilot

That's all you need to get started!

Setup Steps¶

Authentication Setup
```
gh auth login
```

Model Selection (Optional)

export COPILOT_MODEL=gpt-5  # GPT-5 mode
# Default: Claude Sonnet 4

Practical Usage Scenarios¶

💼 Use Cases

🔍 Codebase Exploration: Natural language questions for understanding
🐛 Issue Resolution: Direct feature implementation from Issues
🔧 Debug Support: Local problem-solving assistance
📝 PR Creation: Automated PR creation in background

🏢 Enterprise Deployment Note

For organizational accounts, administrators need to enable users' Copilot CLI policies. Coordination with administrators is required beforehand.

Summary: GitHub Copilot CLI's Development Experience Revolution¶

With the advent of GitHub Copilot CLI, terminal-based AI-assisted development has entered a new phase. Particularly, through deep integration with the GitHub ecosystem, an environment where AI supports the entire development workflow from Issues management to PR creation has been realized.

While currently in public preview, many developers have already begun adoption. Therefore, we recommend early adoption to secure competitive advantages. Note that the old gh-copilot extension will stop on October 25, 2025, making migration preparation important.

Ultimately, GitHub Copilot CLI is not just a code generation tool, but a revolutionary tool that functions as developers' true partner. By actively utilizing it while paying attention to future updates, significant improvements in development productivity can be expected.